Together at Last
by Em'sPride
Summary: Two people you may not expect get together, but is it the next big thing, or just a fling? Last chapters up!. Please review, Review, REVIEW! Rating just in case.
1. The Break Up

OK. I decided to do something a bit different, and I did a bit of match-making. I'm not going to tell you who, but it doesn't involve and boy/boy, girl/girl or brother/sister relationships. Love it or hate it, put this writer out of her misery and read and review!

DISCLAIMER: I own none of the characters, places in this story. Just the story line. Please don't sue!

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Grace and Luke entered his house, holding hands. Luke had seemed very distracted all week. Although their hands were connected, Grace didn't feel their hearts were. She didn't know what was wrong with Luke, but she didn't want to ask. She liked to give people their privacy. He was probably just tired from staying up all night and studying for the chemistry quiz they had just done in last period. 

It seemed that this feeling of uncertain tension was becoming more frequent in their lives. Insensitivity was Grace's main problem, and Luke's was stress. But they always managed to pull it together. The week had been hectic for both of them. The teachers were all expecting every ones end of term assignments.

But it didn't matter anymore. It was the weekend. They could both de-stress and enjoy their time with each other. They entered the house from the cold wind outside.  
"Do you want a hot cocoa?" asked Luke half-heartedly.  
"Sure, geek," replied Grace.  
Grace watched her boyfriend go into the kitchen to fetch the cocoa, so she settled herself on the lounge. Grace decided to find out what was wrong with Luke when he returned.

Luke appeared with two cups of steaming cocoa, and sat down next to Grace. He looked into her concerned eyes. Luke knew what he was about to do wasn't going to be pleasant. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Grace, well, have you noticed lately how much we see of each other?" Grace said nothing but just gave a strange look.  
"Well, I've noticed it, and I think we should, I dunno, cool it for a while?" Grace still said nothing. She thought he was joking, but Luke looked at her with serious eyes. She then realised he hadn't used any big words. He must have really meant it. He was never to nervous or scared to say big words, but for once, it seemed, he was stumped.

Grace remained quiet for almost a minute, before she stood up so abruptly, it startled Luke.  
"I gotta go," she said quickly, before bolting out the door.

She ran into Joan about half way outside the door. By now, Grace had tears streaming down her red face.

"What's wrong Grace?" questioned Joan.  
Luke was still inside calling out to Grace to come back.  
Grace just pushed past Joan and continued her escape from the house.


	2. The Phone Call

How you liking it? I hope you do. Here goes the next chapter. Reviews would be appriciated, good or bad

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, ect, ect

Joan entered the house, searching wildly for Luke. She saw him still sitting on the lounge with his head in his hands. She walked over and sat next to him. She put an affectionate arm around her younger brother.  
"What happened?" she asked sympathetically.

Luke explained what had just happened. "But I didn't want to break up, just, I dunno, give each other a bit of space. I mean school is so demanding at the moment. She didn't wait for me to explain. I think I've just stuffed up big time!"

Joan raised an eyebrow and said "You should NEVER tell a girl you want to 'cool it'. You may as well say: let's break up! Seriously Luke, you should know that."

Luke looked up at his sister, and he suddenly comprehended what he had done. After cursing at himself for a while, he begged Joan to talk to Grace.

"She'll talk to you. You're her best friend!" pleaded a desperate Luke.

"I can try, but I guarantee nothing. You should be the one doing the talking"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" said Luke with a truly thankful voice

That night, Joan entered her best friends number into the phone number. She knew it off by heart now.

It took seven rings for Grace to pick up.

Grace: Hello?  
Joan: Grace is that you

Grace sounded as though she had been crying.

Grace: Yeah it's me. And please don't tell me you rang for your brother.  
Joan: Well… Grace: I knew he wouldn't face me. Wimp.  
Joan: I only rang because he didn't want to break up.  
Grace: Well I did!

Joan was taken by surprise.

Joan: You…you did?  
Grace: Yeah. I was actually going to break up with him on Monday. He just beat me to it.  
Joan: Oh, ok… Grace: What did he set you up to do? Win me back? Hurt me more? Well?  
Joan: No nothing like that… Grace: Ok, then why are we having this conversation?  
Joan: I don't know.

Grace sighed.

Grace: Well ok. I gotta go cook tea. See you on Monday Girardi.

And the next thing Joan knew, she could hear the steady beep, signaling that Grace had hung up.

Joan looked up at Luke who was waiting eagerly at the door. She just shook her head sympathetically.


	3. The Great Fall

Luke and Grace pretty much avoided each other for the next week. Joan was sick of the tension, but knew it was the way it was going to be from now on. She and Grace had arranged for a girls night out on Friday. Grace's dad was having a dinner party with some of their friends, and, as Grace explained, they were way to embarrassing to be met. So they decided that they would have to risk seeing Luke at Joan's.

They walked to Joan's house slowly. It had been a long week for both of them. They had their first real conversation that afternoon, since the break up. Joan started it by asking Grace why she wanted to break up with Luke.

"I guess I just wanted a bit more freedom. I mean, that's not so much to ask for is it?" asked Grace thoughtfully.

"Well, no, but Luke said he didn't want to break up, just cool it," explained Joan.

"But he should know that in girl talk that means 'Let's break up!'. He should know that!" said Grace, clearly disgusted.

Joan replied "I tried to tell him that. But he didn't listen now, did he?"

"Yeah well, I know Luke can't...OWWWW!" cried Grace, wincing in pain as she fell.

Grace had fallen down and twisted her ankle. She was withering on the ground in pain.

"Oh my God. Are you alright Grace?" asked Joan.

"I…don't think…I can walk," said Grace through clenched teeth.

Joan sat down next to Grace and examined her ankle. I was already swollen and going a light shade of purple.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Grace as Joan touched her ankle.

"I'm going to call mum or dad, OK," Joan informed Grace.  
Grace just nodded in agreement.  
Joan tried her mum, and then her dad, but no one was picking up. It always seemed they were out of touvh when she needed them the most.

"Can I try you dad Grace?' asked Joan.  
"He'll be out getting stuff for tonight."

"OK, ummm…" trailed Joan. She was trying to think of someone else to ask. Mum, no, Dad, no, Mr. Polonski, no, Luke…definitely NOT! Who else was there to ask? Then it became blatantly obvious to her…Kevin.

Joan quickly typed her brothers' number into her phone. Thankfully, he picked up after just three rings. They quickly made an arrangement for Kevin to come and pick them up from the side of the road.

"Who'd you ring Girardi?" asked Grace.  
"My brother," said Joan simply.  
"What were you thinking Girardi? I would rather die here than see him again. I thought I was meant to be the insensitive one!" said Grace angrily.

"What have you got against Kev…" started Joan before it dawned on her that Grace was thinking she had called Luke.  
"I called Kevin, Grace, not Luke," she explained.

Grace just replied with a small sigh of relief. Joan thought at first the sigh was because Kevin was coming instead of Luke, but it was really because Grace had already spotted Kevin's beat up old car driving down the road.

He pulled over as close to the girls as he could without hitting them. He wound down the window and poked his head out.  
"You ladies fancy a ride?" he asked with a stupid smile on his face.  
"You're SO funny Kevin!" said Joan very sarcastically.  
Kevin put on his serious face and ordered the girls to hop in the car. The obligingly did so. Joan had to support Grace so she could hobble into the car. They started the aging car, and in 15 minutes they were back in the comfort of the Girardi's house. 


	4. The Only Ones

Grace woke after a peaceful sleep. She glanced at Joan's clock and was startled to see it was already 10.30. She thought to herself about the fact she had already spent 18 hours at Joan's and had managed to completely avoid Luke, as he was studying at Friedman's last night. This morning would probably be the first encounter outside of school since they had broken up.

Joan's messy, unmade bed was empty, so Grace presumed she had gone downstairs. It was a bit strange she had gotten up after Joan; Grace was the early bird.

Grace wearily hobbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her ankle was still big and swollen. She was surprised to find that downstairs was completely empty. Where was every one? She was just about to exit the kitchen, when a voice said "Joan's at work."

Grace was quite startled, and was relieved to find it was only Kevin talking to her.  
"Sorry what was that?" asked Grace.  
"Joan got a call from Sammy, and he said he needed her help. Something to do with a rabbit called Heidi or something," explained Kevin.

"Oh OK, what about Luke? He's not here, is he?" asked Grace.  
"Mum took Luke to the library. Mum is then going shopping, and dad got called out to somewhere. So I guess it's just you and me, hey," answered Kevin.

Grace laughed, "Yeah."

The two looked at each other for a while, not knowing what to say. Finally Kevin spoke up. "I have to go fix up my newspaper article. It's due tomorrow, so…" he trailed off.

"Ok, sure," replied Grace, "I'm just going to wait for Joan in the living room. When will she be home?"

"About 2pm, I think," said Kevin going off.

Grace went to the living room and sat down in front of the TV. She flicked through a couple programs, but couldn't find anything worthwhile. She sat watching some mindless program for a couple of minutes, and then realised she was still wearing her pajamas. She walked upstairs, and gathered up her clothes from the floor of Joan's room. She had a quick shower. She could hear Kevin's laptop clicking away in the next room. H e sure was a fast typer, she thought to herself. She hopped out of the shower feeling refreshed and clean; she hadn't had a shower since the night before last.

She then phoned her dad to tell him what she was doing. Her dad informed Grace that her suspicions were correct. Grace's mum was drunk last night. Grace always felt ashamed when her mother was mentioned. She wished it wasn't like it was, but it was, she couldn't change that.

She then went back down to the living room, settled down, and looked for something to do. When she couldn't find anything, she stood up on her tender ankle and had a look around.

Any and all reviews will be read and replied! I'm desperate... 


	5. The Photo Album

Thankyou for all of your reviews. They are really helpful!  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing

Grace had been in this house hundreds of times by now, but she always managed to find an object that she had never seen before. Today her eyes drifted to a bound leather book. She opened it to see a whole heap of family photos; baby photos, birthday photos, Christmas photos and many more.

She noticed how happy they looked. Helen and Will just as in love, Joan just as ditzy, Luke just as…well, Luke, but Kevin, he was different. He looked happy and free, not as bitter as he did now.

It made her feel sad. She couldn't imagine what it must be like, to lose your passion. She paused on a family photo. Helen and Will were hugging a 15-year-old Kevin, who was decked out in baseball gear, Luke was sulking in the background, with his head in a book, and Joan was poking a face at the camera.

She quickly closed the book when she heard Kevin roll up behind her.

"That was the state junior championships. We had just won the semi-final. God, that was a good day," he said quietly.

For the next couple of hours, they flicked through photo albums, and Kevin explained them all to her. Grace suddenly felt a huge connection. He wasn't the type of person she usually liked; he was a stereotypical high school jock. She greatly opposed to them. But now she was seeing the different side; the passionate, desperate side. As Kevin pointed out old friends and family, Grace realised there was more to people like Kevin, but then again, it could have just been some of his terrible past experiences that had changed him. She couldn't be sure.

The got to the final album and proceeded to look through it. The Girardi's were now more like what they looked like now, indicating the photos were fairly recent. On the third page, they came to a Kevin next to a boy. They were standing on a front lawn, dressed in their baseball gear. Grace heard Kevin take a quick intake of air.

"What is it?" she asked.  
Kevin gave out a bit of a laugh, and said "That was the day of the accident." Grace could tell he was having trouble keeping his voice from cracking.

"Andy came over before the game. We were so excited. This was our last game before we were going off to play for Arizona. We won by the way," said Kevin in a very small voice.

They turned the page, and this time Kevin gave out an audible gasp. There was two photos. They were of Kevin. They were taken at the hospital. He had a gash to his head, and a brace around his neck. There were a couple more of these photos on the next few pages.

"I've never seen these…" said Kevin with eyes welling up with tears.

Grace saw a tear run down his face. Without thinking, she slid over to him, and put her arms around his neck. He didn't try to move them. He just sat there, not exactly crying, but not hiding his tears his tears.

It took about a minute before Kevin pulled away and wiped his tears. "I'm sorry," he said helplessly.

"It's OK; I understand it must be hard."

"Yeah, it can be. I feel so stupid, crying and all," said Kevin.  
"It's OK, I can't stop crying sometimes when my mum drinks," replied Grace, unwillingly telling Kevin one of her most private secrets.

Kevin gave a half laugh. "I guess alcohol messed us up pretty bad hey?" Grace returned the half laugh as she felt a tear roll down her cheek, "Yeah, it did."

They gave each other another small hug just a Joan walked in the door.

Well, that's chapter 5. What did you think? I think you should know where this is going now. More to come soon! 


	6. The Conclusion Jumper

Joan took the two by surprise. But Joan was more surprised. Grace and Kevin were both crying into each other. 

"What in the world is going on here?" said Joan as she put her bag on the floor and began to walk over to the couple.

Kevin and Grace quickly released each other and wiped their tears away.  
"Nothing Girardi," said Grace quickly.  
"Oh my God, you were just kissing! How long, hey? Have you been going behind Luke's back. Is that why you wanted to break up?" asked Joan with fury in her voice.

"No," started Grace.

"Yeah, sure. Just go and shag my brother, behind my other brother's back. Yeah that is classy Grace," said the distraught girl.

"It wasn't like that," tried Kevin.

"SHUTUP!" screamed Joan.

Kevin did shutup, but passed Joan the photos with a look of defeat and humiliation.  
Joan stared at the photos of Kevin in the hospital. She suddenly realised why the two were hugging. She went and sat next to Grace. She looked up and yhen looked at Kevin.

"Have you over seen these?" she asked quietly looking up at him with sad eyes.  
"No, you?" he replied.  
"Yeah. Just once. I just guessed you had too." "Nah. I didn't even know I looked that bad," said Kevin wiping a hand over his face.

Joan walked behind Kevin and gave him a hug. She rested her head on his strong shoulder, and said quietly, "I'm sorry," to both Kevin and Grace.

"That's OK, Girardi. I can assure you that I would never cheat on Luke. It's just not me," said Grace very monotonously.

"Yeah, I wouldn't dream of scamming on my little brother's ex-girlfriend," exclaimed Kevin.

"Yeah, I guess I jumped to conclusions too fast. Well I'm off to have a milkshake. Here, I'll put away these albums," offered Joan as she grabbed up the pile of scattered books.

"Thanks a million Joan," said Kevin.

Joan finished her small job and went to make her milkshake. Grace announced she was going home, and Kevin rolled up to the stairs. Although they had parted ways, they know Joan was right to jump to conclusions. They hadn't been cheating, but whatever had happened that afternoon, they had felt a connection, and that night the only person they could think of, was each other.


	7. The Solo Thoughts

_Sorry it took so long. I was stuck for ideas. Ideas would be accepted because I am really stuck! I'll acknowledge you of course._

_Once again, I own nothing. AND WHY IN THE WORLD WAS JOAN OF ARCADIA CANCELLED. There goes the last bit of decent TV.

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Joan went to bed that night, thinking about how silly she was to make outrageous assumptions about Grace and Kevin. The two of them had just shown a bit of weakness at a time they both needed it. Poor Kevin, he had been through so much over the past two years. And Grace had had her share of knocks too._

She briefly wondered if she should just tell Luke that Grace and Kevin had become friends. She realised it was a silly thought, as Grace made Luke think about too many painful feelings. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a muffled sound come from her radio. She knew by now, that whenever anything weird like radios going off for no reason, it had something to do with Him. Sure enough, a soft ladies voice with an Asian accent called out to Joan.

"Joan,"

"Yes?" asked Joan, preparing herself for the worst.

"I want you to make sure that Grace and Kevin remain friends," said the voice.

"Why? I mean, I'm sure they'll be fine without me," asked Joan.

"They need each other. Grace and Kevin need someone to support them, and in return give support."

"So what do I have to do?" Joan asked, quite confused.

"Ha-ha, if I told you that, you might like me!" said the voice playfully.

Joan moaned as the radio turned off automatically. She flopped onto her bed, and closed her eyes. What in the world did God mean?

Meanwhile, Kevin was sitting in his bed, feeling refreshed and happy. He hadn't had a good cry since he had moved to Arcadia. Although he hated showing emotional weakness, he felt that a little cry with a good friend was just what a person needs.

That thought played around in his head. Grace had gone from some friend of Joan's, to a good friend, in a matter of hours. He suddenly felt very self-conscious. Grace hardly knew Kevin, so why did he open up to her, and why did she take on the burden on listening to a twenty year-old guy cry? Kevin couldn't find an answer.

Grace was also thinking. Why had she mentioned her mother to Kevin? It took her almost a year to tell Joan and Luke, so why was Kevin different. She guessed it was because she had felt the same tragic feelings about alcohol that he had, although it came in different forms.

She thought about Kevin's situation. She wondered what it was like, not being able to feel anything below the waist. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine. It was hard to understand, but she knew he must feel trapped by himself. It must be like pulling around a forty kilogram bag of flour 24/7, she thought to herself. Grace laughed at the comparison she had some up with.

She looked down at her swollen ankle. She knew it had gone down, but in a way, it was beginning to feel like her friend. Even though it throbbed every now and then, she believed it was because of her ankle that she had met such a nice guy.

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Ok, time to read and review. I know it's been a while, and I hope the next chapter will be up sooner. Thanks to those who have stuck around. 


	8. The Innocent Kiss

Kevin and Grace managed to see more and more of each other. Grace made up as many excuses she could to go over to Joan's just to see him. Assignments, homework she had forgotten, a shower to use because hers was 'broken'.

At Grace's third visit of the second week, she walked in on Kevin busily typing away at his laptop. Kevin glanced up briefly and greeted Grace. Usually he would stop everything he was doing to see her, but today he was especially busy. So instead Grace walked in and sat on the chair next to the desk

She peaked over his shoulder, and noticed that he was writing what looked like a story or report. She guessed it must be for his newspaper.

"What are writing about?" she asked.

"Oh, a piece on some dog who was born with and extra leg out in the country somewhere. As you can see, I do all the really important stories," he added rolling his eyes before returning to his work.

Grace gave a laugh and looked down at what he had typed. She quickly skimmed through it. She wasn't an expert on these sorts of things, but she could tell it was good.

Kevin blushed when she told him so.

"Well, I try," he said shyly.

"No, I mean, it's really, really good," Grace insisted.

Kevin gave a smile and then continued typing.

"Kevin, you shouldn't be writing these stupid meaningless stories. You could be out writing stories that are about something." said Grace extremely passionately and serious.

"You really think?" he asked as he turned to look Grace in the eye.

"Yeah," she said softly, pulling herself closer to Kevin, before deciding she should add more, "Has Joan told you I write poetry? Well, that helps me appreciate other writing styles. So believe me, you have a true talent, Kevin Girardi," said Grace very softly.

"Wow," exclaimed Kevin simply, but knew he wasn't talking about her comment, he was talking about Grace.

Although her looks were boyish, and her features weren't perfect, Kevin had never seen a more beautiful girl; the way her hair flowed out behind her ears, and how her eyes were the only real way to know exactly how she was feeling.

Grace's breath was soft and minimal. She gazed at Kevin. His lips were plump and pink. His strong chin was freshly shaven, and he smelt slightly aftershave. She took a deep breath and looked deeply into his coal eyes.

"I love you," murmured Kevin.

Grace and Kevin both got closer. They could feel each others breath pouring down onto their faces. They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity. Grace made the first move. She placed her lips on his, and she kissed him. But he did something Grace had not expected; he kissed back.

They kissed passionately for ages. Kevin ran his hands through her soft hair, and Grace cupped her hand around his cheek. When they finally parted, they stared at each other, as if in a trance. Finally Grace said disappointedly, "I have to go," She picked up her bag, and with one final glance over her shoulder, she walked down the stairs. Kevin watched lovingly as she glided across the hallway.

What he had just experienced wasn't just lust, it was love. He was in love with Grace. He knew because she made him go weak, and every moment he longed just to see her. Because they had to secretly see each other, they were never sure when they would next cross paths. However one thing was for certain; he was going to sleep well tonight... 


	9. The Sprung Time

Kevin and Grace managed to see more and more of each other. Grace made up as many excuses she could to go over to Joan's just to see him. Assignments, homework she had forgotten, a shower to use because hers was 'broken'.

At Grace's third visit of the second week, she walked in on Kevin busily typing away at his laptop. Kevin glanced up briefly and greeted Grace. Usually he would stop everything he was doing to see her, but today he was especially busy. So instead Grace walked in and sat on the chair next to the desk

She peaked over his shoulder, and noticed that he was writing what looked like a story or report. She guessed it must be for his newspaper.

"What are writing about?" she asked.

"Oh, a piece on some dog who was born with and extra leg out in the country somewhere. As you can see, I do all the really important stories," he added rolling his eyes before returning to his work.

Grace gave a laugh and looked down at what he had typed. She quickly skimmed through it. She wasn't an expert on these sorts of things, but she could tell it was good.

Kevin blushed when she told him so.

"Well, I try," he said shyly.

"No, I mean, it's really, really good," Grace insisted.

Kevin gave a smile and then continued typing.

"Kevin, you shouldn't be writing these stupid meaningless stories. You could be out writing stories that are about something." said Grace extremely passionately and serious.

"You really think?" he asked as he turned to look Grace in the eye.

"Yeah," she said softly, pulling herself closer to Kevin, before deciding she should add more, "Has Joan told you I write poetry? Well, that helps me appreciate other writing styles. So believe me, you have a true talent, Kevin Girardi," said Grace very softly.

"Wow," exclaimed Kevin simply, but knew he wasn't talking about her comment, he was talking about Grace.

Although her looks were boyish, and her features weren't perfect, Kevin had never seen a more beautiful girl; the way her hair flowed out behind her ears, and how her eyes were the only real way to know exactly how she was feeling.

Grace's breath was soft and minimal. She gazed at Kevin. His lips were plump and pink. His strong chin was freshly shaven, and he smelt slightly aftershave. She took a deep breath and looked deeply into his coal eyes.

"I love you," murmured Kevin.

Grace and Kevin both got closer. They could feel each others breath pouring down onto their faces. They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity. Grace made the first move. She placed her lips on his, and she kissed him. But he did something Grace had not expected; he kissed back.

They kissed passionately for ages. Kevin ran his hands through her soft hair, and Grace cupped her hand around his cheek. When they finally parted, they stared at each other, as if in a trance. Finally Grace said disappointedly, "I have to go," She picked up her bag, and with one final glance over her shoulder, she walked down the stairs. Kevin watched lovingly as she glided across the hallway.

What he had just experienced wasn't just lust, it was love. He was in love with Grace. He knew because she made him go weak, and every moment he longed just to see her. Because they had to secretly see each other, they were never sure when they would next cross paths. However one thing was for certain; he was going to sleep well tonight... 


	10. The Helping Hand

The next Friday, Grace went over to Joan's for a sleepover. Grace tried to make herself swear that she and Joan could spend some real quality time with each other. They hadn't in a while, due to exams and other things.

Grace had to admit she had a great night. She wasn't interrupted by Luke. Joan announced he had finally moved on, and found himself a new girlfriend. They watched a couple of movies, and gossiped. They went to bed fairly early. Grace was happy. This was probably the only time she could sneak into Kevin's room. She quietly tiptoed down the hallway.

Grace crept into Kevin room. He was lying on his bed reading a book. Grace slid down next to him. He sleepily rolled over, and looked at Grace in the eyes.

"I missed you, Grace" he muttered, slowly closing his eyes.

"Me too," she whispered.

Within minutes they were asleep.

Luke got home after midnight. He crept inside, hoping no to wake anyone. He slowly walked up the stairs and to his room. However, he decided to stop when he saw that his brothers' light was still on. He slowly opened the door, in case he was asleep.

Luke walked in the door. His mind filled with anger as he saw his brother in the arms of his ex-girlfriend. Before he could stop himself, he screamed. It was filled with pity and hate. Kevin and race jerked awake by the startled screams of Luke.

Grace jumped up and grabbed her coat.

"Luke," she pleaded, "it's not what it looks like."

Luke just stood, in complete shock. Grace quickly ran out of the room. Meanwhile, Kevin was transferring into his chair as quickly as he could.

"Luke," he said once he was done, "I know how this looks; but I was just lying down…"

Kevin couldn't finish. Luke had cut him off.

"I know exactly what's going on. I should have seen it coming. You always have to be better then me. So you take my girlfriends away."

"Luke, you dumped Grace, remember?" said Kevin.

This seemed to spark something inside of Luke. His eyes became furious, and his lips were quivering. He picked up Kevin's basketball and pegged it at his face. It got Kevin on the end of the nose quite hard.

By this time, Luke had tears streaming down his face. Luke then picked up a lamp, and threw that. Kevin managed to avoid it. He cautiously approached Luke.

"Settle down, bro," he pleaded. Miraculously he did seem to. He turned on his heels and exited the room. Kevin heaved a sigh of relief. However, he was completely unprepared for Luke when he turned back around, and gave Kevin a mighty shove, sending Kevin and his chair falling to the ground. 


	11. The Confused Advisor

Joan woke to the sound of Grace sobbing.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned for friend.

"Go away, Girardi. It's none of your business," she replied wiping her tears away.

Joan slid down onto her friends mattress. She hadn't seen her friend cry like this before.

"Grace…" she insisted, but was cut off by a thump from Kevin's room. Joan jumped up and ran outside into the hallway. She saw Luke creep into his bedroom. She first thought that Luke had just knocked something on his way in – he could never be quiet when he had to.

However, Joan then heard her older brother give a bit of a grunt. She cautiously opened the door, and was shocked to see her brother lying on the ground. She sunk down onto her knees.

"Are you right Kev?" she asked.

"I'm 'kay," he replied as he rolled over onto his back. Joan could know see that there was blood on Kevin' arm, and a broken lamp where he had just been lying.

"Kevin, you're bleeding."

He looked down at his arm and groaned. Meanwhile, Joan had jumped into action, picking up Kevin's chair. With Joan's help, Kevin managed to get back in his chair. Joan was beginning to get a bad feeling about what had happened. Kevin would normally refuse help – it was a sign of his immense stubbornness.

Once Kevin was up, Joan set about cleaning his arm and the smashed lamp.

"What happened? And tell me the truth," said Joan firmly.

Kevin began to say something about rearranging his room, but he saw his sisters face, and he decided he should tell the truth.

"Luke caught me and Grace sleeping together," he said in a tone that was barely audible.

"Oh. My. God."

"No, not like that! We were literally sleeping together. As in we were lying on a bed, with our minds in a state of semi-consciousness."

"Oh," said Joan, not sure on how to react. "Why were you doing that?'

"Joan, I love Grace. That's it," said Kevin simply.

"What? Sorry, I don't understand. You love, as in really like, my best friend, and your brothers ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I don't know why though. Grace is a fantastic girl. She understands me. And I think I understand her. She's the first person that I want to have a relationship with that isn't completely based on sex. I want to go on picnics with her, and just hold her hand."

"But she's Luke's ex-girlfriend. How can you do that?" asked Joan.

"I don't know," he replied sincerely.

Suddenly Joan knew what God had meant. Grace and Kevin weren't meant to be lovers. Just friends. Maybe friendship was greater than love sometimes. But Joan had no idea how she could help him. She couldn't just say, 'Oh yeah, by the way Kev, you and Grace aren't meant to be!"

"You know Kev, maybe you don't know Grace as well as you think. Like, do you know her birthday, her fathers occupation, her religion, her English teacher?"

Kevin just sat dumbfounded. He knew the answers to none of the questions.

"See? You can't just love someone, when you don't even know who they are," said Joan.

"I'll get to know her," replied Kevin in a stubborn manner.

Joan looked sadly at her brother. "It doesn't always work like that." 


	12. The Final Confrontation

OK, last chapter. Sad isn't it? Well I want heaps of reviews - over 5 if possible (Trust me, the reviews have been slow.) And also I'm sorry that this chapter isn't the greatest. I have a feeling I'll end up redoing it sometime on the future. Once again, I own nothing. Enjoy. (BTW, this is the first multi-chapter story I've finished- WOOHOO) 

Kevin listened to his sisters words. He suddenly realized that she was right. He loved Grace because of her experiences, not her personality. As much as he loved her, he knew they couldn't be together, at least for now. Losing a brother for a good friend was not a sacrifice he was willing to make. If he was, he knew it would be true love.

He set off towards Joan's room to find Grace. Thankfully Joan wasn't in the room. Kevin suspected that she knew she wasn't particularly welcome at the moment.

"Hey," he murmured.

She looked at Kevin and gave a tiny smile.

Grace, I really need to tell you something. And I don't know if you'll like it, but it has to be said," began Kevin in a very shaky voice. He hoped he had made the right decision.

Grace nodded. She sort of knew what was coming.

"Grace, as much as I love you, we can't be together, in an intimate relationship. I hardly know you. And you hardly know me. And I couldn't do in front of Luke. Maybe one day, we can be more than friends, but not now,"

Grace felt a tear slide down her face, but she understood what Kevin was saying.

"The fact is, Luke has been more than a brother to me, he's been a friend, a problem solver, a teacher, a care-giver and so much more. We've just been crying buddies. I don't mean we should never see each other again, but we should be just that - crying buddies.

Grace gave a solemn nod as Kevin left the room. She sort of felt at peace with everyone at that moment - with Kevin, with Luke, with Joan, and whatever happened next didn't matter. As far as she could see, her boyfriend had just walked out the door, but her friend had only just entered. And she was grateful for that.

But Kevin had more business to attend to. He entered his brother's room, and saw his brother sitting on his bed, very still, with a blank face.

"Luke," he said softly.

Luke's eyes quickly darted at Kevin before retreating to some place on the wall.

"I'm sorry."

Luke this time had a long stare at his brother, and gave a look that showed he was ready to hear him out.

"I know how wrong it was of me to take advantage of your only just ex-girlfriend, but we won't be seeing each other as partners anymore, just friends. Is that cool?" he asked.

Luke gave out a scratchy word, "Yeah"

Kevin was relieved, and set off to say one last thing.

"Luke, you have been through everything with me. You put up with me when I would take away all the attention from you. You put up with me when I bragged about baseball. You put up with me not being able to dress myself, but I know you could never put up with me being with Grace. The thing is, as a brother, we have a stronger bond than a girlfriend and boyfriend could ever have. I am not going to lose that, not for some girl who may not even be the one."

Luke was misty eyed. He got up, and gave his brother a big hug. Luke and Kevin were both content with the situation, and had never been happier to be each others brother.


End file.
